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| Dad's Army - Extra Time Film and Exhibition 22/12/2005 |
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08 December 05
THE HOME GUARD IS HERE AGAIN!
Photo opportunity: Helen McDermott (Anglia TV), Tony Pritchard (Dad’s Army Appreciation Society) and film extras at launch of new exhibition and short film at The Guildhall, Thetford on Wednesday 21 December at 10.30am.
Dad’s Army Local Defence Volunteers will be marching back into town on 21 December to launch a new mobile exhibition and short film about the popular TV series.
The exhibition commemorates the 60th anniversary of World War II and aims to educate new generations on how local people contributed to the Home Guard. The Dad’s Army TV series highlighted the work of the Home Guard during the war and was filmed in and around Thetford so the series has a special place in the hearts of Norfolk people.
The exhibition will be launched at The Guildhall and will then be on display at Thetford Library during January before touring local community centres, schools, retirement homes and other libraries. Displays will include photographs from the Dad’s Army series and information about filming around the town as well as a section on Thetford’s real Home Guard.
As well as the static exhibition there will be a 20-minute film called ‘Dad’s Army – Extra Time’, produced by Abacus Television, which documents the tales of local people who worked as extras in the series. Helen McDermott from Anglia TV carried out the interviews and provides the links in the film she will attend the launch between performances as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at the Gorleston Pavilion.The extras who were interviewed for the film (including the coach driver to the stars) are Keith and Margot Eldred, Derek Mortimer, Tim Ball, Shaun Skilton, Ray Williams and Pam Spencer. Filming took place at the Bell Hotel, Keith and Margot Eldred’s home and Bressingham Dad’s Army Museum.
More follows …
The Home Guard Is Here Again /continued
The £8000 project has been funded by Home Front Recall Lottery Fund and developed by the Thetford Tourism and Heritage Partnership with help from the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society.
Tara McEnaney, Acting Tourism and Marketing Officer, says: “Thetford is rightly proud of its association with the Dad’s Army series and this new project will celebrate our connection, offer some light hearted reminiscing and help younger people gain a better understanding of the importance of the Home Guard during the Second World War.”
Tony Pritchard, Dad’s Army Appreciation Society, says: “This exhibition will give a valuable insight into life of local people during the second world war. It will also show how local people, in Thetford, became involved in one of the most successful television shows in television history called Dad's Army.”
Background
The popular Dad’s Army TV series began in 1967 and ran for a decade. The stars would come to Thetford and stay for six weeks at a time whilst filming on location in the town and nearby villages. For many local people of Thetford the TV series was an important part of their life for over a decade as a number of people were employed as extras on the series.
In 2004, Thetford Tourism and Heritage Partnership developed a Dad’s Army trail leaflet, which has been a huge success with 70,000 copies distributed across East Anglia. The leaflet brings together all of the locations in the area that were used for filming and is a wonderful way for fans to recreate famous episodes and walk in the footsteps of their favourite characters. It is hoped that the short film and mobile exhibition will offer interpretation in greater detail.
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| “Out of the Dark” – New Comic Book by International Comic Artists launched in Thetford 21/11/2005 |
| |  | Thetford’s colourful past and present now features in a new comic book, called “Out of the Dark”, created by world-famous comic artists Simon Grennan and Christopher Sperandio.
The new full-colour comic book tells five stories about 2000 years of Thetford’s history including how an 18th century landlady and present-day rock guitarist square up; the strange connection between four Thetford girls and singer-songwriters of the 12th century; and Thetford’s bilingual dance stars.
The comic book was commissioned by English Heritage in partnership with Thetford Tourism and Heritage Partnership, Keystone Development Trust and the Ancient House Museum and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It will be distributed free through the partners and via schools and young people’s services throughout Breckland and wider Norfolk.
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| Enjoy an Indian Summer in Thetford 10/11/2004 |
| | Thetford will be celebrating local heritage with an Asian twist on 12 September when the theme for this year’s Heritage Open Day will be focusing on the town’s Anglo Sikh links and a new trail telling the life of the Maharajah Duleep Singh will be launched.
Duleep Singh became the last Maharajah of the Punjab at the age of five and the first Sikh settler in Britain at only 11 when he gave up his crown to live the life of a British aristocrat at Elveden near Thetford. By truly crossing two cultures, he saw the best - and the worst - of two very different countries that now have a shared history and inextricable links. Visitors will be able to pick up the free leaflet and take a self-guided tour to learn about the more exotic heritage they have on their doorsteps. As they follow the route they will come across various activities, which they will be able to join in for free as the incredible story of the life of the last Maharajah gradually unfolds.
Activities will include tours, Sikh storytelling, an exhibition by the Victoria and Albert Museum, lectures, ancient martial arts, turban workshops, art display, music and dance, as well as a reading and floral tribute at the Duleep Singh statue by the Maharajah Duleep Singh Centenary Trust. Ellie Hill from the Ancient House Museum will be working with local school children and adults prior to the event to teach them about costume making and ‘Bangra’ – the fusion of western and Asian music as heard in the Peugeot elephant advert - and her students will get a chance to dance with a Bangra group in Thetford on the 12th at the Priory Ruins. Keystone’s Imagine project will also be at the Priory, leading a ‘Patong Bazi’ kite making workshop as well as Gatka, a Sikh martial arts group travelling from India to be part of the day.
Claire Treadwell, Tourism and Marketing Officer for Thetford, says, “Most of the Heritage Open Day events concentrate on purely British themes but we wanted to bring a taste of the exotic here to Thetford and to celebrate the special links we have with other cultures. The town will be turned into a hotbed of music, dance and fun events for all the family so, if it’s anything like last year, we’ll be welcoming plenty of visitors.”
Heritage Open Days 2004 is a national event co-ordinated by the Civic Trust and funded by English Heritage to allow members of public to visit properties and take part in heritage activities for free. The events in Thetford have been planned to coincide with the launch of a national Anglo Sikh trail devised by the Maharajah Duleep Singh Centenary Trust and will complement heritage activities taking place in Ipswich on Saturday 11 September. Funders for Thetford include Breckland Council, Thetford Town Council, Norfolk County Council, Keystone Development Trust, EEDA, Objective 2, and the European Union.
Sarah James from English Heritage says, “Thetford seems to be going from strength to strength and events like this are fun for locals and visitors as well as being a boost for businesses. We’re delighted that the town will be working with us along with Ipswich Museum and the Maharajah Duleep Singh Centenary Trust to make this a date to remember.”
This year’s events will follow on from last year’s hugely successful weekend when all tours were fully booked and many attractions had some of their busiest days ever. Anyone wanting to take part in tours and events with limited spaces this year are advised to book early. For more information contact the Tourist Information Centre on 01842 751975
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| Dad's Army Stars Launch Thetford Trail 10/11/2004 |
| | Writers and cast of the cult TV series, Dad’s Army, will be coming to Thetford on 10 May to launch the new ‘Dad’s Army Trail’ around the town.
Jimmy Perry and David Croft, co-writers of the popular series, will be joined by stars Bill Pertwee (Chief Warden Hodges), Frank Williams (The Vicar), Pamela Cundell (Mrs Fox) and Eric Longworth (The Town Clerk) on location in Thetford, better known to their TV characters and thousands of fans as Walmington-on-Sea.
The popular TV series began in 1967 and ran for a decade with the stars staying in Thetford for weeks at a time whilst filming on location in the town and nearby villages. Claire Treadwell, Tourism and Marketing Officer for Thetford, recognised the huge interest in the show and worked with the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society to develop the trail.
Claire says: “For many people the TV series was an important part of their life for over a decade and they are still devoted fans. This new trail brings together all the locations in the area that were used for filming and will be a wonderful way for fans to recreate famous episodes and walk in the footsteps of their favourite characters.”
The free trail leaflets provide a map of the route and more information about the TV series. The trail takes visitors around the town pointing out the main sites that were used for filming and listing which episodes each site appeared in. It even includes a fun quiz to test the knowledge of the most dedicated of fans!”
‘The Dad’s Army Trail’ is one of three new walking trails around Thetford, which aim to raise the profile of the town as a visitor destination and celebrate its heritage and culture. The trails are part of a three-year regeneration project for the town and were funded with help from European Objective 2 and support from partners Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, EEDA, the Keystone Development Trust and Thetford Town Council.
The trail will be launched at 1pm on Monday 10 May by cutting a ribbon outside the Bell Hotel in King Street, Thetford. Tony Pritchard from the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society will be leading a free walking tour and anyone interested in joining him must pre-book by calling Thetford Tourism on 01842 820689.
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| Thetford’s International Carnival, 5th June 2004 11/08/2004 |
| |   | Thousands of people came out to enjoy the Thetford International Carnival 2004 in June this year. With free entertainment throughout the event including a full day of music, fireworks, funfair, comedy, dancing, acrobats, and children’s entertainment, a great day was had by local residents and tourists.
King Street was transformed into the Carnival Main Street with various activities taking place throughout the day including, a Flower Festival, Ju Jitsu displays, Chinese Acrobats, puppet shows, belly dancing, Egyptian dancing, stilt walkers, face painters, balloon sellers plus much more.
The market stage place hosted lively international entertainment to include a Polish folk band, a salsa band and a local Jive Dancing group. While the Riverside stage offered the crowd a more tranquil setting with Jazz, Greek and Irish music and dancing performances.
At 3.30pm, a procession lead by the Mayor of Thetford and Civic leaders from the twin towns passed through the town centre to Castle Park where there was an evening concert and fun fair.
The free entertainment didn’t stop until the sun went down … From 6pm to 10.30pm over 7,000 people enjoyed the evening concert on Melford Common. Trent Connection, Fiddlers Elbow and Backstreet Soul provided a wide variety of music to the crowd, followed by the ‘Grand Finale’ - a fabulous firework display to round off the day!
The International Carnival was organised by Thetford Town Council and Thetford Tourism and Heritage Partnership with support from Keystone Development Trust and the Breckland Cultural Package consisting of a European Objective 2 grant with match funding from Breckland Council, EEDA and Norfolk County Council.
The event’s Official Sponsors were Matthew Homes, Daniella’s Delicatessen, Thetford Garden Centre and Reflex Signs.
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| Thetford's Heritage Weekend - Free Fun for all the Family 25/08/2003 |
| | Thetford will be opening its doors to show off its hidden architectural and heritage treasures to visitors and residents FREE OF CHARGE on 13th and 14th September 2003. Organised by Thetford Town Council, the activities and openings form part of Heritage Open Days 2003, a national event co-ordinated by the Civic Trust and part of a European wide initiative, European Heritage Days. The programme is funded and supported by English Heritage via the Heritage Grant Fund.
Heritage Open Days activities will take place all over England (apart from London) from 12 – 15 September 2003. Around 800,000 visitors will enjoy the weekend, making the most of the opportunity to explore an outstanding selection of private homes, castles follies, industrial sites, churches, contemporary design classics and architectural eccentricities.
Claire Treadwell states, “The weekend’s events will be tailored so that there is something for everyone including family activities, entertainment, treasure hunts, guided tours, walks and demonstrations. The Heritage Open Days will showcase what Thetford has to offer as a historic market town and will involve the local community, volunteers, attractions and local businesses.”
Thetford joins 23,000 volunteers across England who work behind the scenes to organise heritage Open Days locally.
Martin Bacon, Chief Executive of the Civic Trust, said “Heritage Open Days offers members of the public a rare chance to visit some of the best of England’s built heritage. Many of the attractions are not usually open to the public, so it really is a valuable opportunity for people to get to know something new about the community in which they live. Not only can people learn about heritage that is right on their doorstep, but they can do it for free!”
Full details of Heritage Open Days activities are available from Tourist Information Centres and
The Civic Trust website, www.heritageopendays.org
The event is part of the tourism strategy for Thetford and is being funded by European Objective 2, part of the wider Breckland Cultural Package.
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